


Rolling With the Beat

by TheCookieMonster77



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (a.k.a. I have a shit ton of headcanons for this scenario this is going to be a thing), Asexual Character, Fang is an actual puppy and intimidates exactly no one, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Penny too, also since Jagged and Penny are ace besties:, but Jagged would be the most amazing mentor, episode 20 (guitar villain) spoilers, look I'm not saying Jagged would make the most amazing mentor, mentee!Marinette Dupain-Cheng, mentor!Jagged Stone, mentor!Penny Rolling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-23 23:39:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6134041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCookieMonster77/pseuds/TheCookieMonster77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Marinette had agreed to designing a CD cover, she never expected to gain two overly enthusiastic mentors and a cuddle-loving crocodile along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stone Cold

**Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug.**

* * *

The tablet cracked in Jagged Stone's hands, the glass splintering delicately under his clawed fingers. His ears were pounding - _or maybe that was just Fang growling behind him?_ \- and he willed himself to stop glaring at the poor girl shuffling awkwardly in front of him.

"What. Did you just say?"

"Ummm…" Marinette giggled nervously, her hand coming up to scratch the back of her head. She was bouncing on her toes nervously, further jostling locks of hair out of her pigtails. "He...uhhh." Marinette gulped, her wide eyes flicking between him and Fang. "I wasn't paid anything?"

 _Crack_.

Jagged's eyes flicked down to his new tablet, the screen dark and the glass fractured. He chucked the broken thing over his shoulder, the loud _snap_ as Fang swallowed it oddly satisfying. Penny was grumbling over the loss of another tablet - "You got it just last week!" - but he ignored her as he shoved his clenched fists in his pockets.

His eyes snapped back to Marinette's. She snapped to attention, one of her pigtails becoming completely undone as she slapped her hands to her sides and froze, and Jagged shoved away his flash of guilt for scaring her. "Bob paid you _nothing_ for your CD cover designs?"

Marinette gulped again and nodded.

Jagged swallowed down his curse - _do not swear in front of the children do not swear in front of the children do not_ \- and turned to Penny. His best friend waved his question away (probably a good thing considering he had a thing or two to say about his old producer on the tip of his tongue and none of it nice) and answered his unspoken question. "I just texted him and his assistant. Not that I'm expecting an answer."

Fang growled louder behind him.

Penny huffed and crossed her arms. "He was probably trying to make up some money for those perfume ad covers you rejected."

Jagged growled with Fang.

"Um, sir!"

He and Penny turned back to Marinette. Her lips were spread into a painfully awkward and nervous smile, making the guilt flash through Jagged again. Fifteen year old girls were probably not used to seeing their idol and their pet crocodiles growling and trying to set fires via glaring. He took a deep breath and tried to will some of his ire away so that Fang at least would calm down.

Marinette waved her hands in front of her, probably trying to be soothing but instead coming off as anxious. "L-look, it's really no big deal!"

Jagged froze, his jaw falling as he gaped at Marinette. _What?_

Marinette licked her lips and smiled, this one looking a tad more relaxed. "Honestly! It's not a big deal! It was an honor designing your CD cover art, I didn't do it for money!"

Jagged jaw clicked shut as he frowned at her, Fang shifting restlessly behind him as he sensed Jagged's growing anger. His fingers curled, Bob's gloating face dancing in his in his mind's eye. "It's a huge deal! A-"

Penny cut him off with a glare, her narrowed eyes screaming at him to calm down. He snapped his mouth shut with a scowl as Penny turned to explain. "Marinette, it is a big deal. You made two designs and along with the rush order, you should've been paid six hundred euros."

"Seven-fifty," Jagged muttered.

"Si-six _hundred_ ," Marinette squeaked, her eyes impossibly wide. " _Seven hundred and fifty euros?!_ No no no, my stuff wasn't that good!"

Jagged snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes it was. At least seven hundred and fifty euros. Your design's my favorite."

Marinette emitted a strangled sound, her eyes wide and her jaw on the ground.

Penny sighed and walked over to Marinette, gently bumping her shoulder against Jagged's as she passed him (a second warning for him to calm down). Penny placed her hands on Marinette's shoulders and squeezed. "If we had hired one of the more well-known professional designers to do your kind of work, they could've demanded one-thousand euros for just one design if they wanted to. You did _two_ and you did them both in less than twenty-four hours." Penny huffed again, her right eye twitching.

 _Oh boy, she's pissed_ , Jagged thought gleefully. Fang bumped his leg with his nose and his tail thumped the ground in time with Jagged's pounding heart. _Bob's gonna get it..._

"It's extremely unprofessional for Bob Roth to take advantage of you like he did just because you're young and a fan."

"Seriously uncool," Jagged butted in, shaking his head angrily. "It's as- _guys_ like him that only care about money and rates that ruined music. First it was all about expression and feelings and _art_ but now it's just about who can get the biggest paycheck." Bile coated the back of his throat and he gagged. "Why did I ever work with him?"

Penny nodded in agreement and squeezed Marinette's shoulders again. "Exactly. We're going to insist to pay you. You have a gift Marinette, don't let anyone like Bob Roth take advantage of you or else you'll never get the recognition you deserve."

Marinette's eyes flicked between him and Penny for a few minutes before nodding hesitantly. "O-okay."

Jagged relaxed marginally, Fang calming down as well until he was just nuzzling his head against Jagged's calves. Penny exchanged a look with him, his friend smiling soothingly before turning away to go grab his checkbook from wherever she had hidden it last. He took a deep breath and shook his head to get rid of his disgust and walked over to Marinette, who looked as though she was on the edge of a heart attack.

Jagged patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier." Fang whined behind him and Jagged's lips twitched. "Fang says sorry too."

Marinette let out a strangled giggle. "Thanks?" She bit her lip and bounced on the balls of her feet, her hands clasped behind her back. "I just...don't see what the big deal is? I didn't do it for money."

Jagged narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "I don't care. You made me an awesome CD cover and it's wrong for Bob not to pay you. The music industry is too mean and greedy nowadays. We're supposed to support each other, not cheat others!"

Marinette smiled nervously, still rocking on her heels and seemingly ten seconds away from bolting. She looked like she was going to say something but pressed her lips together, her eyes darting away from Jagged and flicking around the large hotel room.

"Okay!" Penny said as she came over, her cheerful tone and easy smile seeming to put Marinette at ease as she stopped bouncing.

(Jagged new much better. Penny may be one of the best music agents in the business with a perfect poker mask, but he and Penny have been best friends for years and he was a master at picking out the little giveaway details.)

(Bob was so _screwed_.)

Penny handed him his checkbook and a pen. "Just sign that and then Marinette will be all set."

Jagged playfully rolled his eyes at the formality (Penny's been forging his signature for years) but went along with the show, squeezing his signature into the small place with a flourish. He ripped it out and offered it to Marinette with his signature grin, waving it a little as she hesitated. "Thanks again for the awesome cover!"

Marinette's wide eyes flicked between the check and Jagged, smiling nervously as she nodded twice. "Of course! It was a pleasure!" Her eyes flicked back to the check and Jagged could barely make out her muttering " _so much money!"_ under her breath.

Jagged bit back his laugh and his pair of Eiffel Tower sunglasses popped to mind. "Say, you like designing right?"

Marinette tore her eyes from his check - which looked like it was about to be torn in her white-knuckled grip - and her smile grew as she eagerly nodded. "Yeah, I want to be a fashion designer."

Jagged grinned and stroked his beard, exchanging a sly look with Penny out of the corner of his eye. "Cool. I'll keep it in mind. Leave your contact information with Penny and we'll hit you up if I ever need a new outfit."

Marinette's jaw fell. " _What?!"_

Jagged and Penny laughed. He snapped his fingers into a finger gun and winked at the frozen teen. "I like your style Marinette. And I love supporting new and upcoming artists, it'll be fun!"

Marinette gaped at him. Jagged raised his eyebrow at her and was about to ask her if she was alright when-

" _IcoulddesignanoutfitforJaggedStone?!"_

"Yeah!" Jagged laughed, raising his hand for a high five.

Marinette raised her hand automatically, her eyes growing impossibly wider as he slapped it. "I just high fived Jagged Stone. _I might design something for Jagged Stone_."

Penny laughed with him this time. "That's the spirit," she said. Jagged grinned at Penny's genuinely excited tone, the normal rush of adrenaline racing through him at the thought of working with new talent. _This_ is why he got into the music industry and it made every second of his labor to stay in it worth it.

Penny placed her hands on Marinette's shoulders and guided her across the room to her small workstation. "Now, all I need is your number and..."

Fang bumped his head against Jagged's leg again and Jagged tuned out the two ladies across the room as he kneeled down to rub Fang's head. Fang gurgled happily, butting his nose against Jagged's shoulder. Jagged grinned as he scratched under Fang's jaw, the crocodile's tail thumping happily against the hardwood floor.

Penny cleared her throat and Jagged looked over to see her patiently waiting by the elevator door, Marinette next to her and bouncing on her toes again.

Jagged walked over, his hand out. "It was nice doing business with you Marinette. Your work is awesome and I look forward to seeing more of it."

Marinette nodded happily, her eyes still huge. "Thank you so much for everything!" she said, grabbing his hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

Something knocked against Jagged's leg and Jagged looked down to see Fang edging around his leg to bump his nose against Marinette's knee. Marinette froze mid-bounce, her breath audibly hitching as she stared down at his crocodile.

Jagged just raised an eyebrow. Fang didn't normally warm up to people this fast.

Marinette giggled nervously, her eyes darting between Jagged, Penny, and Fang. Jagged startled when he saw Penny narrow her eyes at him and he just shrugged, not knowing what Fang was up to either. Penny's face morphed into a deadpan look and Jagged realized with a jolt that she meant for him to get Fang away from Marinette _now_. He turned back to call Fang away, only to stop and watch as Marinette hesitantly held her hand out to Fang.

_Doesn't she know that's the best way to lose a finger or three?_

(Not that Fang would ever do something that rude.)

Fang gurgled happily and pressed his nose to Marinette's palm. Marinette giggled and rubbed Fang's nose affectionately, Jagged and Penny exchanging astounded looks over their heads.

Oh, he _liked_ this one.

Fang started to wag his tail, which Jagged would've found adorable had Fang not whacked the back of his knees with it and almost send him toppling to the ground. Marinette snorted at Jagged's flailing, waving goodbye to him, Penny, and Fang as she quickly backed away into the elevator.

"I like her," he said, grinning as he heard Marinette cheering from inside the elevator. Fang bumped his knee with his nose before wandering off towards the window, probably wanting to sleep in the afternoon sun for a few more hours.

Penny grinned at him and followed Fang, gracefully falling into one of the many plush chairs scattered around the room. "Me too." She crossed her legs in the wide chair and reached over the back of her chair to grab one of the tablets sitting on the small table behind her. She settled back into her chair, tablet securely nestled in her lap, and gestured to her right. "We'll call her later though. First we have some business to attend to."

Glee shot down his spine and he bounded over, eagerly pulling a chair up next to Penny's and flopping down next to her. "Roasting Bob?" he asked breathlessly, already skimming the politely worded - and _brutal_ \- email Penny was drafting.

_Three sentences in and she's already throwing all the punches._

"Mhmm," Penny said, her smile sharklike. "He won't know what hit him."


	2. Stand Strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an update occurs. Finally.
> 
> Oh, and Tom and Jagged helping Marinette through an anxiety attack. Brief appearance from puppy!Fang included.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll leave my ramblings for the end of the chapter but;
> 
> This chapter was originally going to be shopping shenanigans. Instead, it focuses on Marinette's anxiety rearing its ugly head (shopping shenanigans will occur in the next chapter). So heads up for anyone who's uncomfortable reading about that.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug.**

* * *

In.

The hats sat innocently in front of her, a bright and colorful selection ranging from baseball caps to fedoras to top hats. Marinette swore she could hear them mocking her.

Out.

In.

 _You can do this Marinette_.

The papers crumpled in her fists.

Out.

In.

She smoothed out her papers, the wrinkling obnoxious in her pounding ears.

_This is everything you love. You've been doing it your whole life._

Out.

_So get it together and go kick some-_

"Sweetie?"

Marinette yelped as she spun around on her heels. Her fist swung out and slammed into the bottom of the hat shelf next to her, making the hats rain down on her as pain bloomed along her knuckles. Her breath hitched.

 _I can't even shop without it being a disaster. How the_ _ **hell**_ _am I supposed to do this?!_

"Marinette? Sweetie, look at me."

Two hands fell on her shoulders. Marinette trembled under their comforting weight and peeked up at Tom from beneath her bangs.

Tom smiled soothingly. Large knuckles gently brushed away the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, the familiar ritual slowing her building panic. "Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

Her eyes prickled as tears threatened to fall again. Marinette took a deep breath to center herself, her breath hitching as she registered all the hats strewn around them. "I...I…" She gulped before whispering, "What if I can't do this?"

Tom chuckled and gathered her into his arms. The smell of fresh bread and damp flour washed over her and Marinette instinctively relaxed into the soothing embrace. "It's okay to be nervous Marinette."

"My problem isn't _nerves_ ," she grumbled.

Tom rubbed her back and hummed.

"It's _not_ ," she insisted. Nerves were when Ladybug faced an oddly strong akuma. Nerves were when she had a big exam coming up and forgot to study.

Nerves were _not_ fashion worries. She was _good_ at this, this was her passion, she was _not_ nervous-

 _I'm going to puke holy shit_.

"Marinette," Tom said gently, pulling away so he could look her in the eye. "However you're feeling right now - it's okay. This is a huge deal to you."

Marinette scowled at her dad, who was far too calm for her frazzled state. "But _Papa_ …"

Tom's mustache twitched. "It's okay Marinette. Everything will work out fine. I know you can do this."

The butterflies in her stomach calmed slightly in the face of his unwavering faith. "But what if it doesn't," she muttered, her papers crinkling as she stared back down at her designs as dizziness washed over her again. "I've been trying to make this work for _three days_ and I have _nothing_ and I just...what…"

 _What if I_ _**fail**_ _?_

Tom pulled her in for another hug and rubbed her back as she took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. "Marinette," he said, calmly but firmly. "You've only been at it for _three days_. Plus you've had school for those three days as well." He rubbed her back one last time before pulling away. He beamed at her, his pride shining through. "You still have one more week to finish this. You can do it Marinette, don't let a simple setback discourage you."

_A simple set back?! This is not a simple set back this is a disaster!_

Marinette shook her head in an attempt to shove away the doubts pounding against her ears. Tom's thumbs rubbed her shoulder soothingly as he beamed down at her and Marinette's lips twitched as she tried to smile back.

(Her smiled faltered as her stomach twisted itself into knots again. She tried not to let it get to her.)

With another deep breath in an attempt to shake her nerves, she looked back down at her sketch.

Earlier that week, she had been stunned when Jagged and Penny came knocking on her front door in the late afternoon. After introducing them to her parents and vice versa, Jagged and Penny were invited in for a cup of tea. Then, they dropped the ultimate bombshell.

Jagged wanted her ( _her!_ ) to design an entire _outfit_ for his upcoming concert.

Well, actually, he wanted her to modify one of his newly arrived performance outfits to better fit his style. But still! _She_ got to completely remake the outfit into anything _she_ wanted and _Jagged Stone_ was going to _wear_ it. On stage. In a spotlight. In front of thousands of people.

 _Oh god_.

It was a tight deadline - two weeks max - but Marinette had never backed down from a challenge before. Plus, she was a fast sewer - two weeks was plenty of time in her opinion. Or at least it would have been, if not for one itsy-bitsy snag.

Snapping back to the present, Marinette frowned as she shuffled her papers around so that she could see the original outfit design. It wasn't a _bad_ look per se. It was just...boring. Marinette cocked her head to the side as she examined the neat detailing on the shirt - _why'd they bother it'd just get lost up on stage?_ \- and well-fitted pants. The outfit was just too plain for the intended effect and she pursed her lips as she mentally picked apart each piece.

 _Plus this shit color is so bad for Jagged's complexion_ , Marinette grumbled as she shuffled her design to the top.

She knew what she wanted to do. Leather inserts for the pants and a mixed print shirt. She should probably dig through Jagged's closet again for a different pair of boots - _maybe those studded ones from two concerts ago?_ \- and keep his regular pair of fingerless gloves. Overall, nothing too big to change but it would still up the overall effect. Plus she could easily do it in the upcoming week despite her school and superhero activities. But, the real piece of her new look, the one she _absolutely_ needed to make the outfit, was a vintage black leather jacket.

 _And she didn't have it_.

She didn't have the skills or expertise to just make a leather jacket from scratch yet. She wasn't even sure she could modify one beyond taking in or letting out seams. Not that she had any luck even finding a leather jacket to begin with - Marinette had already scoured all of her normal stops looking for it to no avail. And now she was running out of time and heading for a panic attack in the middle of some random vintage clothing store with _hats_ surrounding her.

 _My life is over I'm never going to be a fashion designer I'm never getting married I'll have to move to the country and buy three cats and it's all because I can't find a stupid_ _**jacket** _ _-_

A loud growling from behind Tom snapped Marinette out of her head. She peered around her father to see Fang on a closed store counter, his bright yellow eyes narrowed into slits and deadly still he glared in her direction.

"Oh hush you overgrown lizard," Tom muttered, his arm cradling Marinette's shoulders in a protective hug. Father and daughter eyed Fang carefully as the crocodile's tail started to lash from side to side, his white fangs gleaming in the low lighting. "Didn't Jagged say that tail wagging just means a tense atmosphere?"

Marinette shrugged helplessly, too frazzled to remember past the panic building in her. Tom let go of her to carefully pick his way to the counter and their bags, Marinette's jaw dropping as her father completely disregarded the deadly predator growling at his elbow. Then, Tom pulled out a familiar looking box and the growling abruptly stopped as Fang perked up, looking rather like an overeager puppy in the face of the butter croissants cradled in Tom's arms. Marinette giggled, hysteria strangling the normally bubbly sound, as Fang's tongue lolled out of his mouth as he waited for Tom to feed him.

Someone snorted behind her. "I thought the croissants were for me and Penny."

Marinette stiffened at the amused chuckled behind her. Jagged moved into the edge of her vision and Marinette nearly swallowed her tongue as the butterflies flared in her stomach again.

Right. She had almost forgotten what had sent her spiraling in the first place.

Penny and _Jagged_ were shopping with her today.

_And now we're standing right where I just spilled a ton of hats._

_Great._

Now, Marinette did think it was amazing that Jagged and Penny were willing to take some time off their busy schedules to give a simple collège student like her some industry tips. It was amazing they took her to their favorite vintage store, some place on the other side of Paris she's never stepped foot in due to cost, to help her look for the perfect jacket. This was an experience people would kill for and Marinette didn't want to waste it.

She just wished that when she had accepted Penny's offer, she had realized it meant that Jagged and Penny would get a front row seat to her scattered thought process and whirling nerves.

 _This was the worst decision of my entire life_.

"So Marinette, you thinking the outfit needs a hat?"

Marinette giggled nervously as Jagged picked up two fedoras and put them back on the shelf with a sneer. "Er, no? I um, I just accidentally knocked them off the shelf."

She didn't miss his incredulous stare. She tried to hold back her wince as she became painfully aware of all the hats strewn down the aisle. (Don't ask _her_ how it happened, she just caused disasters and then did damage control.) Keeping her head ducked to hide her burning cheeks, Marinette scooped up hats as she tried to think of something to say.

"If you weren't looking for a hat, why were you in the hat section?"

 _Hiding_.

Marinette squeaked and accidentally crushed the bucket hat she held in one hand. "Uh...um…" Marinette gulped as her eyes locked with Jagged's, the rockstar tilting his head in genuine curiosity as he patiently waited for her answer. She licked her lips and willed her stutter away. How the hell do you tell your boss you were hiding from them?

"I was just, er, looking to see if any new ideas came to me! In-incase we couldn't find the jacket!"

Jagged didn't look convinced. Or happy. "You gave up on your design before you even tried to make it work?"

The disappointment in his tone made Marinette's stomach feel like lead.

Jagged sighed as he continued picking up hats. He didn't say anything for a few minutes, and the silence sat heavy between them.

Marinette silently pleaded for a nice blackhole to come swallow her up.

_I failed I failed I failed my life is over-_

Marinette gulped as the silence stretched on. It felt like an iron ball was stuck in her throat and her heart was trying to beat itself out of her chest. Marinette got down on her knees to fish a hat out from underneath the hat stand, her brain scrambling as she tried to think past the roaring in her ears.

 _Maybe if I_ -

"Do you know why I'm number one?"

Marinette squeaked and nearly banged her head as she sprang upright. She stared at the red baseball cap in her hands, the hat slowly becoming a red blur as dizziness washed over her. Marinette's fingers clenched the hat's brim. "Because your music is the best?"

"Well…" Jagged chuckled and Marinette watched him carelessly toss a few hats back on the shelf out of the corner of her eye. "Can't deny that definitely has something to do with it."

Jagged grabbed the last two hats laying on the floor - an electric blue top hat and a black bowler hat with gold stitching - and crouched down next to her with a sigh. "But it's a bit more than that." Jagged sighed again, sounding surprisingly wearied, and Marinette's stomach dropped.

 _He's gonna fire me and then no one will speak to me ever again oh my god my life is ruined ruined_ _ **ruin**_ -

"The music industry is run by businessmen Marinette."

Marinette blinked, her mind reeling. "What."

Jagged pursed his lips and scowled at the bowler hat. "The idiots in charge of the music industry are a bunch of big hot shots who can make money from dust and find loopholes in anything. But they don't know music, they don't know art, they don't know _passion_. So to make money with something they don't understand, they follow trends - which isn't something they do well."

Marinette frowned as Jagged tossed the bowler hat onto the shelf. She opened her mouth to ask where he was going but the words stuck in her throat, her brain still scrambling. She watched as Jagged twirled the top hat around his finger with a scowl, the silence feeling more pensive than oppressive.

"The music industry cares a lot more about looks and money than it does about talent and originality. You got a first hand view of that with Bob Roth and his bul- _nonsense_." Jagged's eyes snapped back to Marinette, heavy as they regarded her. "Producers don't tend to catch onto new trends quickly but when they do, they latch on with a fervor and try to squeeze every penny they can from it. That means that when you're in this industry - or any arts industry really - you're going to have some very powerful people constantly pressuring you to make stuff _they_ think will make them money."

Jagged rested a hand on Marinette's shoulder, his fingers and shoulders tense. "I'm number one because I stand by what I make. This-" he gestured towards himself- "has been my style and my passion since I was fifteen. It's not always 'in' though so producers, especially ones like Bob Roth, try to make me change my style - try to make me change _me_ to better fit what they think will sell. It's up to _me_ to make sure I produce music _I_ love."

A paper crinkled and Marinette looked down to see that her designs had somehow ended up underneath her knee. A calloused finger tapped the paper, startling Marinette into jerking away as Jagged carefully tugged the papers away from her. He held them back out to her, her new design still on top.

"You really gonna give up on your design only after three days?"

The lead ball in Marinette's throat swelled as it sunk lower. Her breath hitched as his gentle criticism echoed in her head, the baseball cap brim squeaking as she squeezed it. "It was just hats," she murmured, tears prickling her eyes.

Jagged gently pried the hat from her hands. "I have a feeling it's more than 'just hats'," he said softly as he dropped her designs in her lap.

Marinette's breath hitched and her head snapped up. Jagged met her wide eyed stare with a soothing smile and patted her shoulder. "It's fine, I won't pry. You don't have to explain anything to me." Jagged booped her nose with the blue top hat - _why hasn't he put that back yet?_ \- and grinned at her startled flinch. "Marinette, it's good to keep an eye out for new opportunities but don't do it because you're scared of your original idea or think you will fail. It's your work, stand by it proudly. If you don't stick to your guns, no one else will."

Marinette jerked her head, her nod becoming slightly more natural as the pressure on her windpipe eased. Jagged patted her shoulder again and stood up.

He offered her his hand. "Now let's go find your jacket."

Marinette let him pull her up. She dusted off her knees, her head still swirling but the rest of her calming down.

 _Right. He asked_ _ **me**_ _to help him. I can do this. Fashion is my passion, I save people on a regular basis-_

Marinette gave Jagged a shaky grin, adrenaline still thrumming in her veins, and cracked her knuckles.

 _-I can_ _ **do**_ _this_.

"Yeah! Let's go get it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I suck at updating. This chapter was originally going to be published last week but instead I got pretty sick (still sick rn but whatever, I managed to get this finished). A chunk of the next chapter is already written so hopefully the next update will be quicker but that's still up in the air (my quarter just started and as an engineering student, I don't have much free time). If you really want me to update sooner, go bug me on [tumblr](http://77-cookies.tumblr.com) and I can tell you how to help me do that.
> 
> So, heads up that I usually headcanon characters with mental illnesses. It's not even a conscious thing by this point tbh. I'll put warnings at the beginning of each chapter but please be forewarned that a lot of those headcanons are going to come up as the story goes on.
> 
> One last thing before I shut up--shameless self plug here, but I have several Jagged and Penny-centric drabbles ~~partially~~ written and idk if I'll ever get around to publishing them on ao3. I've started publishing them on my writing tumblr though and you can fing them [here](http://77-cookies.tumblr.com/tagged/rwtb/) if you're interested. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who's liked/reblogged/kudos'ed/commented, I'm honestly blown away by all the wonderful feedback I've gotten. Y'all are wonderful and amazing, thanks for sticking around! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said in the tags, I have _so_ many headcanons for this fic so this will definitely be continued. Idk how long or what all will be happening yet (I kinda fell into this just last night) but those are minor details lol. We'll see where it goes and how the updates go though (finals are coming up soon). Anyways, hope you enjoyed, all comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Edit: *smacks forehead* It's been like an hour since I posted this but oh well I'm changing the name bc Reasons. Sorry if it causes any confusion! Hopefully the early change will help prevent too much.
> 
> [my tumblr](http://77-cookies.tumblr.com/)


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